"I feel like our music offers an alternative to whatever's current," Say Anything's Max Bemis says, comparing his band's sound to mainstream and indie rock. He thinks it offers "more of a personal and visceral experience than a lot of the stuff coming out right now, but," he notes, "still, I think we manage to evolve, so we can stand alongside those bands."
He sees Say Anything as outcasts in a way. "We're a little weirder, darker, more awkward."
Bemis has been making and writing music since he was a young kid, and Say Anything has been together for about 11 years, since high school. Though band dynamics have changed over the years as they started to garner attention, he mentioned, "It really does shift your perspective a lot. The good thing about us is we haven't gone through the stage of letting it go to our heads. We've all been too distracted by personal shit."
He's not complaining about the attention, though. "We're just excited and grateful that people are excited enough about the band to book us so many freaking shows." Bemis pointed out that people get crazy at their shows. They've got low production setups, but there's a bunch of back and forth between the band and audience, a lot of energy. He promised, "We're nothing but crazy."
Bemis is clearly passionate about music. Cloud Nothings is a band that he's currently obsessed with. He has a label, Rory Records, that just signed Tampa band Tallhart. The group itself inspired the creation of Bemis' imprint. He says they sound like Band of Horses or Manchester Orchestra, but they do their own thing. "A mixture of singer/songwriter stuff with a stadium-rock feel to it." Big songs that feel intimate.
"We've carved a little world out for ourselves," Bemis notes of Say Anything. He calls it "a biosphere that thrives outside of what's popular." They may not be a huge band with tons of fame, but they're glad to be able to do it for a living. Bemis says appreciatively, "You certainly couldn't ask for more."
Say Anything. 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 24, at Revolution Live, 100 SW Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Visit jointherevolution.net.
